Everything about Stephen W Kearny totally explained
Stephen Watts Kearny (IPA: [ˈkɑɹni]; "Kar-ney") (
August 30,
1794 –
October 31,
1848) was one of the foremost antebellum frontier officers of the
United States Army, and is remembered for his significant role in the
Mexican-American War, especially the conquest of
California. The
Kearny code, which sought to govern government behavior towards
Californios, was named after him.
Biography
Early years
Kearny was born in Newark, New Jersey.
The Western Frontier
At the end of the war, Kearny chose to remain in the Army. He was assigned to the western frontier under command of Gen.
Henry Atkinson. In
1819, he was a member of the expedition to explore the
Yellowstone River in present-day
Montana and
Wyoming. The 1819 expedition journeyed only as far as present-day
Nebraska, where it established Cantonment Missouri, later renamed
Fort Atkinson. Kearny was also on the
1825 expedition that reached the mouth of the Yellowstone River. During his travels, he kept extensive journals, including his interactions with
Native Americans.
In
1826, Kearny was appointed as the first commander of the new
Jefferson Barracks in
Missouri. While stationed there, he was often invited to nearby
Missouri as a guest of
William Clark of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition. He met later and married Clark's stepdaughter. The couple had eleven children, though several died in childhood.
While at the Jefferson Barracks, Kearny organized a regiment of
dragoons on the lines of a cavalry unit. The U.S. Cavalry eventually grew out of this regiment, earning Kearny his nickname as the "father of the United States Cavalry". The regiment was stationed at
Fort Leavenworth in present-day
Kansas, and Kearny was promoted to the rank of Colonel. He was also made commander of the Army's Third Military Department, charged with protecting the frontier and preserving peace among the tribes of Native Americans on the
Great Plains.
By the early
1840s, when emigrants began traveling along the
Oregon Trail, he often ordered his men to escort them across the plains so they could avoid attack by the Native Americans. The practice of military escorting wagon trains would become official government policy in succeeding decades. To protect the emigrants, Kearny established a new post along
Table Creek near present-day
Nebraska City, Nebraska. The outpost would be named
Fort Kearny. However, the Army realized the site wasn't well-chosen, and the post was moved to the present location on the
Platte River in central Nebraska.
Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
At the outset of the Mexican-American War, Kearny marched to
Santa Fe, New Mexico at the head of a force of 1,700. His troops consisted of two regiments of
Missouri volunteers, a regiment of
New York volunteers (who would travel by ships to California), artillery and infantry battalions, Kearny's own 1st Dragoon Regiment, and the
Mormon Battalion. Kearny easily took control of the area and was named its military governor on
August 18,
1846. He ensured that a civilian government was in place within just one month.
Kearny then set out for
California on
September 25 with a force of only 300 men. His weary troops, having suffered along the way, were fought to a standstill by the Mexican cavalry under
Andres Pico at the
Battle of San Pasqual. Kearny himself was slightly wounded. However, he was able to unite with
naval forces who were in
San Diego, under the command of Commodore
Robert F. Stockton. The combined Army and Navy force consolidated its control over San Diego in December, and in January of 1847 won the battles of
San Gabriel and
La Mesa taking control of
Los Angeles.
Kearny, as ranking Army officer, claimed command of the area at the end of hostilities, which began an unfortunate rivalry with Stockton. When Mexican forces in California capitulated on
January 13. However, they didn't do so to Stockton or Kearny, but to Stockton's aide, Lt. Col.
John C. Frémont. Stockton seized on this and appointed Frémont military governor of the area. Kearny appealed to
Washington. Receiving confirmation of his authority, Kearny took command. He had Frémont relieved, arrested, and later convicted at a
court-martial, though Frémont quickly received a presidential pardon.
Governorship and last years
Kearny remained military governor of California through August, when he travelled to
Washington D.C. and was welcomed as a hero. He was appointed governor of
Veracruz, and later of
Mexico City. He also received a
brevet promotion to
major general in September 1848, over the heated opposition of Frémont's father-in-law, Senator
Thomas Hart Benton.
However, Kearny had contracted
malaria in Veracruz and had been forced to return to
St. Louis, Missouri. He died there in October at the age of 54.
Legacy
Kearny is the namesake of Kearny, Arizona and Kearney, Nebraska. Many schools are named after Kearny, including Kearny Elementary in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Kearny High School in Kearny Mesa, San Diego, California. Kearny Street, in downtown San Francisco, is also named for him, as is a street in Fort Leavenworth. Prior to 1947, what is today Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was called Camp Kearny.
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